Looking at all the unique statistics from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 28-21 loss to the New England Patriots last night.
– The last time a QB completed at least 75% of his passes and threw for four touchdowns, as Tom Brady did Thursday, in a game against the Steelers was Dan Marino in 1987. That was the only other time it’s happened to Pittsburgh. Marino went 25/31 for 332 yards and four scores in a Miami victory.
– The last time the Steelers allowed a QB to complete 75% of his passes, regardless of how many touchdowns he threw, was in 2010 by Drew Brees.
– DeAngelo Williams is the first Steelers’ running back 32 years or older to run for 120 yards since Jerome Bettis on December 18th, 2004 against the New York Giants. Bettis achieved that feat three times, all in the 2004 season.
John Henry Johnson is the oldest Steeler to run for more than 120 yards, burning the Cleveland Browns for 200 in 1964. And he was 34 when he did it.
– Will Johnson’s touchdown run yesterday was his first rushing touchdown since October 27th, 2006, his senior year at Centerville High School. That’s a span of 3240 days. If it takes him that long to score again, he’ll be 35 when he crosses the goal line again.
– As noted by the team’s PR staff, Will Allen’s sack yesterday was the first of his professional career. He also didn’t have one during his time at Ohio State. Meaning, the last time he could have had a sack was 1999. Some people reading this are younger than that. Let that sink in.
– I’ll keep harping on this stat. No Steelers safety has intercepted a pass since Week 14 of the 2013 season. That’s a span of 712 consecutive passes.
– Bud Dupree is the first Steeler to record a sack in his first career game since – you guessed it – Andre Frazier in 2005. Dupree’s came on the first play of the game and that could very well be a franchise first. Frazier’s didn’t come on the first play and neither did Joey Porter’s, who picked one up in his debut in 1999. Only four other Steelers have done it since sacks were officially recorded but play-by-plays aren’t available for them.
– A franchise first. Yesterday was the first time in team history that an opponent’s four passing touchdowns all came in the red zone. The Patriots scored from 16, 6, 1, and 1 yards out. The closest the team has ever come to that actually came last year. The New Orleans Saints did throw four touchdown passes in the red zone but had a fifth from outside of it, a Kenny Stills 69 yard bomb.
